NEW YORK — The Columbia football team bested Georgetown, 19-10, to clinch the Lou Little Cup on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lions (1-1) secured their fifth-straight home-opening victory, while the Hoyas fell to 2-3.
"Georgetown showed tremendous fight and grit and I am grateful that we came out victorious," said Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Jon Poppe. "There were a lot of things that went wrong or were not ideal in terms of situational football, especially after we forced a fourth-down situation and we roughed the punter. Thankfully, at the end of that first half, we went for it a couple of times and were successful in the fourth down game. This is a testament to these guys (and) to I'm proud of how we were able to execute in crunch time. So, I am proud of how our guys battled and really appreciative that we were 1-0 this week."
Offensively, wide receiver Titus Evans recorded a game-high with 52 receiving yards, marking two games in a row with 50+ yards through the air. Tight end Braden Dougherty added 39 yards, and wideout Hutch Crow chipped in 30 yards and a touchdown. The Lions' defense forced three turnovers, highlighted by Jack Smiechowski and Charlie Newton each collecting their first career interceptions, while Justin Townsend registered his first two sacks of the season.
The Lions' defense set the tone early. Townsend recorded a nine-yard sack in the opening quarter, while Newton's interception halted a Georgetown drive near midfield at the 7:44 mark of the frame.
After a slow start offensively, the Lions struck on their third drive of the game. Quarterback Chase Goodwin found Evans for 22 yards, then hit Dougherty on a 39-yard strike to push the Lions into Georgetown territory. Columbia moved inside the 5 when Goodwin connected with Crow in the endzone for the sophomore's second TD grab in as many weeks to put the Lions in front with 2:53 left in the first quarter.
The Texas connection of Houston native Goodwin and Crow, a product of Dallas, showed off their chemistry with a key 26-yard pickup through the air to move into the red zone. Goodwin capped the drive with a quarterback sneak to extend the lead to 13-0 with 12:14 left in the half.
Georgetown answered with a 45-yard field goal by Thomas Anderson late in the half to cut the margin to 13-3 at the break.
Coming back from the break, Georgetown attempted to pull closer as Jayden Sumpter broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown run to cap a lengthy 5:57 drive and cut Columbia's lead to 16-10 with 5:41 left in the third quarter. Columbia's defense clamped down, forcing stops and protecting the one-score lead.
In the final frame of the game, Columbia's defense put on a clinic, preventing Georgetown from taking the lead. Townsend recorded a solo tackle, resulting in the Hoyas taking a three-yard loss. Defensive back Caleb Solomon broke up a pass in the endzone, and on fourth down, corner Carter McCray knocked away a pass intended for Jimmy Kibble to give the ball back to the Lions with 12:38 minutes left in regulation.
The Lions broke through when Smiechowski intercepted a pass to set the Lions up at the Georgetown 20. Columbia's offense marched closer to set up a Hugo Merry 20-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-10 with 3:22 to go. On Georgetown's final drive, Townsend delivered a sack on first down, and Smiechowski followed with his second interception of the day, sealing the win for Columbia.
"We know what kind of game this is going to be versus Princeton," Poppe said. "They have the revenge factor and how that game finished a year ago. I am really excited that we get a chance to celebrate tonight, but tomorrow is all about the business and the (preparation) we're about to face."
Columbia will open Ivy League play at Princeton on Friday, October 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
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POSTGAME NOTES
- This marked the 12th matchup between the Columbia Lions and the Georgetown Hoyas, with the Lions leading the series 8-4.
- With the victory this afternoon, Columbia has won four consecutive home openers and seven of its last eight, dating back to the 2017 season.
- The Lions captured their sixth victory in the Little Lou Trophy series and bested Georgetown to improve to 6-4 overall.
- Junior kicker Hugo Merry successfully converted a field goal within the final frame to move into the fifth spot for most field goals made and eighth most extra points made in program history.
